


your lab or my lab?

by viridae



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Awkward Flirting, Lockdown Drills, M/M, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-02
Updated: 2020-03-02
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:21:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22991650
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/viridae/pseuds/viridae
Summary: Chemistry was Andrew's least favorite class of the day. It wasn’t so much a matter of grades, or even subject material. No, it had more to do with the fact that Neil Josten was his lab partner for the entire year, and Andrew hated him.
Relationships: Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard
Comments: 28
Kudos: 535





	your lab or my lab?

Chemistry, fifth period, was Andrew’s least favorite class. It wasn’t so much a matter of grades, or even subject material (even though it was easily the most boring class out of all of them). No, it had more to do with the fact that Neil Josten was his laboratory partner for the entire year, and Andrew hated him. 

For starters, Neil was unbearably annoying. He was a jock, and all he ever talked about was track and field. Any conversation they had, Neil would somehow bring up his mile time (four minutes and forty-one seconds), or how they had a track meet after school. It was like his life revolved around running. 

When it came to actual class, Neil was somehow worse. He would always forget to do his part in group assignments until the night before, and then Andrew would have to stay up late fixing every single mistake Neil made. Neil was also stupidly reckless and never measured things out properly when they had labs. In fact, his chemistry accidents had caused the entire class to be evacuated so many times that Andrew wasn’t sure how Neil was still allowed to be in school. 

Then there was the matter that all he ever did was start fights. He was colossally stupid-- he once antagonized Riko so many times that they got into a fistfight in the middle of the quad. For someone who was barely five feet tall and claimed to hate attention, Neil sure loved to provoke people.

It also didn’t help that Neil was hot. Not even normal hot (because Andrew could handle a lot of normally hot people) but incredibly, ridiculously, drop dead gorgeous. And he didn’t even seem to  _ care _ . 

Chemistry was Andrew’s last class of the day, and all he had to do was make it through one hour to the weekend. Friday had bloomed into one of those rare, sunny days in the middle of March, and Andrew fully intended on enjoying it. He sat down, pulled his textbook out, and waited for class to start.

With barely a minute before the bell rang, Neil Josten ran into class, hair a ruffled mess and backpack unzipped. He dropped into the seat next to Andrew, right in the back corner of the classroom, and opened his mouth to speak. 

“So,” he started, “I have some bad news.” 

“Let me guess,” Andrew said blandly. “You didn’t do your part in the group assignment.”

“I didn’t do my part in the- yeah, exactly. But I figured-”

“That I would just do it for you?” Andrew finished his sentence for him. Neil nodded eagerly. God, Andrew hated him. “I did it last night.” 

Neil smiled. “Thanks.” 

Andrew’s stomach jumped. He turned Neil’s face away from him by pushing a finger into his dimple. “One day I won’t help you out like that.”

“But then you’d fail,” Neil said smugly. “Can’t have that, can you.”

“I hope your lab partner next year makes you do all the work on your own.”

“Jokes on you,” Neil said. “I’m taking physics. Even an idiot can do that on their own.”

_ You sure?  _ Andrew wanted to ask. As someone who was five feet tall himself, Andrew knew his limits in a fight. Neil, however, appeared to have no qualms at all, even if he was fighting someone who was a foot taller than him. Physics didn’t seem to be Neil’s strongest suit. 

“I can’t wait until this class is over,” Andrew muttered under his breath. Neil laughed at that like an idiot. 

“You’re stuck with me for the next hour, Minyard.” Neil propped his legs up on the chair next to him and smirked. “Can’t get rid of me that easily.” 

The bell rang loudly in both of their ears, and Andrew sighed. It was only an hour… well, fifty nine minutes now. Then school was over, and he could go home and live peacefully for the weekend. 

They were five minutes into the lecture. Everyone had passed in their homework from the night before, and of course Neil was doodling in his notebook instead of paying attention. Sunlight streamed in through the windows onto the back of Andrew’s neck and he shifted in his chair. His eyes tracked the clock as the class bored on.. fifty four minutes… fifty three… fifty two… 

The intercom crackled to life. “Staff, this is a lockdown drill. Initiate your lockdown procedures immediately. Please secure yourselves, the students, and any visitors into the nearest secured room and wait for further instructions.” 

“Fuck!” Neil protested instantly. “Are you serious?”

The twenty five other kids in the class agreed with him, judging by their loud exclamations. It was a blissfully warm Friday afternoon and they were barely fifty minutes away from the weekend. To make it worse, everyone knew that lockdown drills at Palmetto High always lasted forever. 

“You know the drill,” their teacher said disinterestedly. “Does someone want to volunteer to block the door and turn off the lights?” 

Andrew groaned. His life was just getting worse. 

* * *

The lockdown drill had started thirty minutes ago and perks of being only five feet tall, Andrew was actually somewhat comfortable under the desk. Neil had crammed next to him a few minutes ago, probably bored out of his mind, and his knee was jittering up and down. Everyone else in the class already had their headphones in and more than one person was falling asleep across the room. The lights were off, making the classroom dark, but some sunlight managed to filter in through the blinds. 

“How long do you think this will last?” Neil whispered, not for the first time. “I have track and field after school.”

“You are so fucking annoying,” Andrew mumbled, also not for the first time. Neil pulled his knees up to his chest and leaned his head back against the wall, sighing as he did, painting a  _ very _ pretty picture. Andrew forcibly looked away.

“We have a meet today,” Neil continued, as if Andrew said nothing. “I’m supposed to be there.”

Andrew glared at him. When the sun hit Neil’s face just right, the freckles across his cheekbones lit up like tiny constellations, and there was a mole right below his jawline that Andrew imagined pressing his lips to. His hair, which had been messy at the start of class, was now stuck up in reddish curls as if someone had just run their hands through it, and--  _ stop it, Andrew,  _ he firmly told himself. Being stuck in a room with two dozen other kids wasn’t the time to think that. 

Curse Neil Josten for being so awfully attractive. 

Neil made another frustrated sound to his side. Andrew, very stubbornly, did not think about any other sounds that Neil could make.

_ Of all the days to forget my headphones _ , he thought bitterly.

“Why do we even have lockdown drills if no one dangerous is on campus?” Neil hissed. “This is ridiculous.”

Andrew, wisely, did not respond. The next five minutes ticked by in glorious silence, but Neil’s fidgeting got noticeably worse, to the point where Andrew felt wound up just from looking at him.

“Can you stop that?” Andrew finally snapped, out of frustration. Neil was tapping his fingers against his leg erratically. 

“Sorry,” Neil whispered again. His fingers stilled at his side. 

Ten minutes later, Neil started up again.

Andrew considered asking him to stop , but Neil looked much more anxious than Andrew felt. His breaths were coming fast and his eyes wouldn’t stop flicking between the clock, ticking slowly onwards, and the locked door. 

“Are you okay?” Andrew said quietly. Neil grimaced.

“I just don’t like small spaces,” he mumbled. “I’m kind of claustrophobic. I just don’t like it when I feel trapped.”

“You’re not trapped.”

“Feels like it.” 

“Would it help if I talked to you?” Andrew surprised himself by saying. He wasn’t exactly one for comfort, but Neil looked so restless that Andrew couldn’t help it. “Grounding yourself and all that.”

Neil’s throat clicked as he swallowed. “Sure. Go for it.” 

Andrew cleared his throat and started talking. He made sure to keep his voice quiet and to not mention the lockdown (his therapist, Betsy, had helped him with grounding exercises last week). Of course, the first thing he decided to talk about was-

“Seriously?” Neil said skeptically, after about five minutes. “Your idea of grounding is to tell me about all the ways I fucked up our group assignment last unit?” 

“Your slides were titled  _ States of Matter  _ and the lesson was on acids and bases,” Andrew retorted. “Someone has to tell you the difference.” He was, however, pleased to note that Neil looked much more animated-- his leg wasn’t jittering up and down anymore and his body language was more relaxed. It made Andrew breath easier too. Being trapped next to someone who was obviously incredibly anxious wasn’t fun.

Neil frowned, baffled. “Are acids and bases not states of matter?” He looked genuinely confused. Andrew sighed deeply and put his head in his hands. Neil was so  _ stupid.  _ How someone that attractive could be that dumb, Andrew wasn’t sure. 

“How do you have an A in this class?” Andrew asked tiredly. “Who are you bribing?”

Neil laughed, his cheeks going pink, and it sent butterflies through Andrew’s stomach. “It must be luck,” he said easily. “Or pretty boys who do my work for me.” 

Andrew’s heart skipped ten beats consecutively, and he was pretty sure his lungs stopped working at the same time. When he finally pulled himself together, he managed to choke out, “What?”

Neil looked both incredibly smug and also nervously hopeful. “Please tell me I didn’t waste my one good pick up line on you.”

“That’s not even a pick up line,” Andrew complained automatically. “You can’t tell anything apart, can you?” Then the actual reality of it hit him-- Neil was talking about  _ him _ . Neil thought he was  _ pretty.  _ Neil Josten liked Andrew Minyard. Holy. Shit.

Andrew decided he had stumbled into an alternate reality on the way into class. “You know,” he said, deciding to just go with it, “When I imagined you finally admitting that you like boys, me specifically, this wasn’t exactly the setting.” 

Neil stretched his legs out across the floor. “So you have imagined it,” he teased. “You do like me.” 

“I hate you,” Andrew announced. “This has been the worst hour of my life.”

Thankfully, Andrew was saved from any further embarrassment when the PA buzzed to life. “Staff, this lockdown is now all clear. I repeat, this lockdown is all clear.” The announcement rang out in the silent classroom like a bell, and startled more than one sleeping kid awake. Several other people yawned widely. Someone flicked the lights back on, and Andrew winced as his eyes adjusted to the brightness. 

Gradually, people started stretching out and packing up their backpacks to go home. Andrew did the same, trying to keep his eyes from straying over to Neil. The classroom filled with idle chatter as people slowly started leaving. 

Andrew broke the silence between them first. “Will you make it to your meet on time?” he asked dryly. 

Neil’s lips turned up into a wry grin. “If I run.” God, he was so pretty. 

There were another few moments of aching silence, until Neil nervously bit his lip and turned toward the door. Andrew watched his retreating back before he gritted his teeth, not willing to let this opportunity slip through his fingers, and called after him. 

“Are you free Saturday?” 

Neil whipped around so fast he almost fell over. “Yes. I mean, yeah. I’m free. Depends when, but-” 

“Come over to my house,” Andrew said, cutting off his rambling. “I’ll teach you chemistry.”

“Ooh,” Neil pretended to bat his eyes. “Is that a pick up line?” 

Andrew snorted. “You’re impossible. Seven?”

“Seven thirty.” Neil said. “I have-”

“Track,” Andrew finished. “Of course you do.”

Neil grinned. Andrew’s heart skipped another beat. This time, when Neil turned around, his shoulders were up. Andrew waited a few moments, before he realized that he was smiling too.

The Friday afternoon was sunny and bright. Andrew had a date with Neil Josten on Saturday and no homework over the weekend. Things were certainly looking up.

**Author's Note:**

> if you enjoyed please leave kudos or a comment! all feedback is welcome


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